It’s Only Tuesday, So Why Does It Feel Like Friday?

We usually save fun posts for the end of the week but for whatever reason, it feels like the end of the week and that’s good enough for me.

First up is a video from the Berlin Philharmonic horn section, playing he Hunting Chorus from Freischütz* inside a cable car. On the surface, that would seem to be a remarkably loud setting but they don’t seem to mind. The really fun part arrives after they get to the top of the mountain and continue playing out in the cold. Don’t miss the adorable little girl in the pink hat at the 2:24 mark who fills in as a human music stand. I don’t know if she was part of their group or not but either way, she got drafted into service for the video and it’s definitely a #winning moment.

Next up is some satire in the form of a step by step guide (18 of them) on how to become a classical musician. Although it’s loaded with inside jokes rooted in dark humor, that doesn’t mean you have to wear the scars of the modern conservatory system to laugh your way through all 4:15.

My particular favorite: “Step 3: practice…for the rest of your life.”

* Fun Fact: Microsoft Word kept trying to autocorrect “Freischütz” into “Fishnets.”

About Drew McManus

"I hear that every time you show up to work with an orchestra, people get fired." Those were the first words out of an executive's mouth after her board chair introduced us. That executive is now a dear colleague and friend but the day that consulting contract began with her orchestra, she was convinced I was a hatchet-man brought in by the board to clean house.

I understand where the trepidation comes from as a great deal of my consulting and technology provider work for arts organizations involves due diligence, separating fact from fiction, interpreting spin, as well as performance review and oversight. So yes, sometimes that work results in one or two individuals "aggressively embracing career change" but far more often than not, it reinforces and clarifies exactly what works and why.

In short, it doesn't matter if you know where all the bodies are buried if you can't keep your own clients out of the ground, and I'm fortunate enough to say that for more than 15 years, I've done exactly that for groups of all budget size from Qatar to Kathmandu.

For fun, I write a daily blog about the orchestra business, provide a platform for arts insiders to speak their mind, keep track of what people in this business get paid, help write a satirical cartoon about orchestra life, hack the arts, and love a good coffee drink.

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